AISEES announces the availability of 3 fellowships for graduate students and early postdoctoral scholars in the United States to support research in Southeast Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia) for research conducted within the 12-month period of May 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025. Each award is $3000. Projects in all fields in the social sciences, humanities and related disciplines are eligible.
Proposals will be judged on their quality and on the potential of the research to strengthen scholarship in southeastern Europe. The purpose of the fellowship is to help cover travel, living expenses and/or applicable research expenses in southeastern Europe. By the end of her/his term of study in southeast Europe, fellows will submit a 3000 word report. The fellow will acknowledge AISEES in any publication that emerges from the research carried out during the fellowship period.
Application requirements: Please send a single PDF containing the following information to us at AISEESorg@gmail.com:
1) Contact information: name, U.S. mailing address, institutional affiliation, citizenship
2) Project statement of approximately 1000 words
3) Detailed overall budget of the project which specifies how the AISEES funds ($3000) will be applied
4) CV/resume
Two letters of recommendation must also be submitted by scholars familiar with your research
All information must be received by February 15, 2024 (extended to Feb. 29), in order for the applicant to be considered for the fellowship.
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Fellows must complete their fellowship projects within 12 months of receiving the award. Any unused portion of the stipend must be returned to AISEES after this date.
- A 3000 word report must be submitted to AISEES within 30 days after the fellowship completion and no later than May 31, 2025. ($500 of the fellowship stipend will be withheld until the recipient submits the Final Report on the fellowship.)
- All applicants must be either graduate students enrolled in accredited degree-granting programs in the USA or postdoctoral scholars or scholars based at an American academic institution. Preference is given to scholars who are members of AISEES or whose institutions are members of AISEES.
- Fellowships will be awarded to U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents, or foreign students with a U.S. visa. Proof of citizenship or permanent resident status (i.e. photocopy of passport, etc.) must be shown upon award notification.
- Scholars are responsible for organizing their own legal paperwork while traveling in the countries.
- Fellows are encouraged to use https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en.html for the latest government information regarding travel.
- For research involving human subjects, proof of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be provided, if relevant, upon receipt of fellowship.
- Fellows are required to supply AISEES with proof of health insurance as well as emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains insurance before leaving the United States.
- Fellowship recipients are eligible to apply for a second Fellowship two years after their most recent award.
- AISEES does not advise fellows on tax questions concerning their stipend.
AISEES does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, or status as a covered veteran.
SELECTION PROCESS
Fellows will be selected by the AISEES grants panel made up of scholars with experience conducting regional and trans-regional research in southeastern Europe. Please note that readers/panelists may not be specialists in your field. Applicants will be judged according to the following criteria:
- Merits of the proposal for significance, relevance, and potential contribution to regional and/or trans-regional scholarly research;
- Applicant qualifications;
- Research design and methodology;
- Significance to the applicant’s field;
- Significance to needs and interests of host country and AISEES;
- Feasibility in terms of resources and amount of time allocated to the project;
- Need for residence in host country to accomplish the project;
- Proficiency in languages required to complete research project, if applicable.
IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING APPLICATIONS
- All application material must be in English.
- AISEES’s method of submission is via email (AISEESorg@gmail.com). Once an application is submitted it cannot be resubmitted or edited. This also applies to letters of recommendation.
NOTIFICATION
Notification of fellowship status will be made available to each applicant via email by the end of March 2024. Fellows whose projects require access to museum collections, archives, and other research materials are advised that it can take up to two months to obtain the necessary research clearance and should plan accordingly.